Fast Food Nutrition Blog

St. Patrick's Day is almost here and it's time to bring out that one green shirt that's way too ugly to wear any other day of the year. While you're doing that, McDonald's is also digging out one of their old green favorites, the Shamrock Shake. This peppermint-flavored, bright green milkshake makes an annual appearance for St Patty's day, much to the delight of its many fans. But what's in a Shamrock Shake? And how is it so green that it looks like it might just glow in the dark? Let's take a look!

Ash Wednesday is just a few days away, and with it, the start of Lent. For Catholics,
that means 40 days of self-reflection, prayer, and abstaining from meat on Fridays. Now
before you get all depressed thinking of all the Filet-O-Fishes you'll be eating on Fridays, let me
share some good news: THERE IS A BETTER WAY! That's right, you no longer have to suffer
through greasy, fried fish sandwiches slathered in tartar sauce to make it through Lent!

In the last few years, fast food restaurants have upped their game when it comes to
vegetarian and seafood options, making it easier than ever for you to observe Lent
without giving up the convenience of fast food. These new meat-less menu options go
beyond the traditional fried fish sandwich, giving Catholics Lent-friendly options that
are tastier than ever.

FastFoodNutrition.org is making it even easier than ever to stick to your diet without giving up the convenience of fast food! Our website now provides Weight Watchers PointsPlus values for the 6,000+ menu items in our database.

Looking up the Weight Watchers PointsPlus value couldn't be easier. Simply pick a restaurant from our list, select the item you'd like to view and you'll find the number of Weight Watchers points listed at the bottom of the nutrition facts.

Remember, FastFoodNutrition.org is mobile friendly, so you can look up the Weight Watchers points right from the restaurant on your phone.

If you're looking for a way to make your meal from Subway a bit healthier, you might be tempted to swap out the traditional bread for Subway's flatbread. It's thinner, so it's less bread... that's gotta mean it's healthier, right? That certainly seems logical, but Chipotle's calorie-filled tortilla taught us that thin doesn't always mean healthy.

To see if flatbread is the smart choice at Subway, let's look at the nutrition facts!

Next time you find yourself at Chipotle, think twice before ordering that burrito. You might not realize it, but that thin, flour tortilla actually packs a HUGE caloric punch. To illustrate just how many calories there are in a Chipotle tortilla, here's a list of fast food menu items that actually have fewer calories:

Once again, FastFoodNutrition.org is expanding! Our newest addition to the site is Zaxby's, a fast food chicken joint that operates primarily in the southeast US. Zaxby's offers wings, chicken fingers, sandwiches and salads.

Before any of you Zaxby's fans look at the nutrition facts, be warned that it isn't pretty! Not even the salads (or zalads as they call them) pass our nutrition test.

For a limited time KFC will be bringing back one of the most ridiculous things they’ve ever put on their menu: the KFC Double Down. This monstrosity is a “sandwich” but it has no bread. Instead, what you have is bacon, two slices of cheese and a creamy sauce sandwiched between two pieces of fried chicken. That’s right, instead of bread, this sandwich uses fried chicken like a bun.

According to the KFC website, the Double Down will only be on the menu for a limited time, so you should “ eat it all day every day” (seriously, their website says this) . But what about the nutritional value of this sandwich? Is it healthy enough to eat all day every day?